Heartening news for chocoholics

Heartening news for chocoholics

As a blood thinner, it's great -- but then there's the fat, sugar

Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

This should get your blood flowing.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have found that chocolate thins blood and protects the heart in the same way as aspirin.  The key is ta compound in chocolate called flavanol, which slows down platelet clumping that can block off blood vessels and lead to a heart attach or stroke.

You have to eat at least a couple of tablespoons of dark chocolate a day to see some benefit -- and it's still not as effective as a single baby aspirin, which is usually prescribed to heart patients.

Matching aspirin would require eating several bars of chocolate a day, which could lead to other problems, such as obesity and diabetes -- to say nothing of tooth decay.

"I would never tell people to go ahead and eat chocolate because chocolate travels with a lot of friends, like fat and sugar," said epidemiologist Diane Becker, who led the staudy funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Becker's discovery, presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago on Tuesday, cam about because chocoholics just couldn't stay away from their addiction.

Her study of 1,535 people was intended to look at how aspirin affected blood platelets.

Subjects were specifically instructed to stay away from chocolate, tea, strawbeeries and red wine.

But 139 people confessed to snaking on chocolate-chip cookies and other products.  One subject admitted eating a gallon of chocolate ice cream

Becker analyzed the cheaters' urine and found less thromboxane, a compound that indicates blood clotting.  Blood analysis also showed slower clotting.

"It's a modest effect," said Dr. Karol Watson, a cardiologist at the UCLA who was not connected to the study.  "but it's nice to say,  'You can't have that steak, but you have chocolate afterward.' "

Becker's team next wants to study the effects of eating chocolate on a "free-living" population of volunteers.  They will measure how much chocolate people eat and then watch them for several years to see if chocolate-eaters have a different rate of heart attacks, stroke and heart operations.

Other studies have suggested that dark chocolate contains more of the beneficial compounds linked with heart health, and experts note that the hight sugar and fat contents of most chocolate candy might cancel out some of the benefits.

Reuters contributed to this report

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/15/MNGO4MCSQJ1.DTL

This article appeared on page A-14 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
9 oz Ange du Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate, 70%
3 ½ C Whole milk
¾ C Condensed skim milk or heavy cream
2 ea Cinnamon sticks
1 ea Vanilla bean, split
¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

Recipe
1. Place milk, condensed skim milk, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, cayenne and sugar into a 2 quart pot and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Occasionally stir.
2. Remove cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean and add chocolate. Let chocolate melt and stir.
3. Strain into four mugs and serve.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
9 oz Ange du Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate, 70%
3 ½ C Whole milk
¾ C Condensed skim milk or heavy cream
2 ea Cinnamon sticks
1 ea Vanilla bean, split
¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

Recipe
1. Place milk, condensed skim milk, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, cayenne and sugar into a 2 quart pot and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Occasionally stir.
2. Remove cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean and add chocolate. Let chocolate melt and stir.
3. Strain into four mugs and serve.

Wow Cacao…You’re a Super Food!

That’s right folks, one of the oldest and newest superfoods rediscovered. Dark chocolate contains potent antioxidants that help eliminate free radicals in the body. Free radicals are destructive molecules that facilitate heart disease and other illnesses. One of the main antioxidants in chocolate is a health compound called epicatechin. Epicatechin can reduce the risk of four of the major health problems: stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes. To maximize the absorption of these antioxidants, eat dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 60% or more, and avoid consuming milk or milk products at the same time, as dairy has been found to partially inhibit the body’s ability to effectively absorb epicatechin.

Antioxidants - Another Reason to Eat Chocolate

According to researchers, chocolate contains health promoting antioxidants similar to those found in red wine, tea, fruits, and vegetables. These cell-protecting antioxidants help to decrease the risk of heart disease. The antioxidants in chocolate help to block the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, or “bad cholesterol”, one of the main culprits responsible for plaque build up and clogged arteries. Also, chocolate and cocoa powder has been found to help raise the HDL or “good” cholesterol. Further, chocolate antioxidants have been identified to behave like aspirin, thus reducing the blood platelet stickiness and potential for dangerous blood clots responsible for triggering heart attacks and strokes. Lastly, consumption of real chocolate has been associated with better vascular function. Procyanidins, one of the antioxidants in chocolate, helps increase the pliability of blood vessels, thereby helping to prevent heart disease, high blood pressure and artery clogging.

Chocolate Fondue

Recipe #1: CHOCOLATE FONDUE
Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients:
12 oz Ange du Cacao, 60%
2 C Evaporated Skim Milk (healthier version)
or
2 C Heavy Cream (indulgent version)

Method:
1. Cut or break chocolate into small pieces.
2. Bring evaporated milk to a simmer.
3. Add chocolate to evaporated milk and stir until mixture is smooth and well blended.
4. Transfer to a fondue pot.
5. Keep warm over heat. Avoid high heat to avoid scorching.
6. Arrange your dippables and skewers on a platter - strawberries, bananas, pound cake, brownies, pretzels, orange sections, coconut macroons, marshmellows, or other tasty treats.